How Divided Were Steelers Bosses On Russell Wilson Decision?

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed veteran quarterback Russell Wilson to be their starter this season. Unfortunately, Wilson was injured on the first day of training camp, thus opening the door for Justin Fields to take over quarterback duties with the first team.

Many believe that Fields did enough to prove he should be the starter, but coach Mike Tomlin announced that Wilson was the guy. ... A decision one Steelers insider reveals was not unanimous in terms of the brass inside the building.

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer recently wrote an article revealing that Wilson was not everyone’s first choice.

"Bottom line: This isn’t anyone’s first rodeo in Pittsburgh, and Fields took some fundamental changes that the offensive coaches gave him (one being a return to the type of footwork he’d used at Ohio State), and really worked on them over the past few weeks of camp," Breer wrote.

"It was enough to have some folks internally push for Fields to start. There was, too, plenty of merit to the idea. But the way it is now, again, to give yourself two shots, also makes plenty of sense."

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There were also plenty of rumblings from pundits around the league that coach Tomlin wasn’t exactly being honest about the quarterback “competition,'' and that he was always going to start Wilson.

In the end? What they've done is a smart move. If they start Fields, and he has a hard time and gets benched, that could ruin his confidence and his career. If Wilson struggles, and you replace him with Fields, then that would likely mark the end of the former Super Bowl champ’s career and give the former No. 11 overall pick a chance to show what he’s got.

There is another bottom line here, too: Tomlin's not running a democracy. He took input, surely. And then he made the decision as a head coach should.